Secret Weakness
by TabbyLover
Summary: An unforgettable event brings two of the most stubborn agents together at last and someone returns from the dead. Set in season 5, between "Designated Target" and "Lost and Found," I believe. Tiva, possibly McAbby and Jibbs are included also. Tiffany331.


**Secret Weakness**

**Summary:** An unforgettable event brings two of the most stubborn agents together at last and someone returns from the dead. Set in season 5, between "Designated Target" and "Lost and Found," I believe. Tiva, possibly McAbby and Jibbs are included also.

**Prologue:**

There was movement down at the crime scene in the middle of a park full of innocent civilians. The young and old were getting on with their daily business, some pausing to gawk at the taped off area, restricted to anyone without a uniform or badge to prove that they weren't someone just wanting to take a look at the dead body.

A crowd was gathering around, hoping to get their first look at something far too gruesome for someone so young to be interested in. A sight like this, seeing someone so cruelly beaten to a pulp, could potentially haunt them for life.

Nothing could have warned off the group of teenagers that had wandered on to that very same footpath that the poor petty officer was on. They'd surely be traumatized for having to find such a grizzly sight and getting their first whiff of death.

It was so grisly that even those that had seen many crime scenes before turned to gaze at the blue sky above them, hoping the beauty of the sky would wash away the gruesome picture below.

Officer Ziva David was one of those and she wasn't one to be shaken up so easily. She had seen her fair share of death, and a good deal of the time she was the one to cause death on others, being from Mossad as she was.

Some days Ziva had this silly wish of being normal, wishing she could be as innocent as the crowd that now gawked at them with wide eyes. What really disturbed Ziva the most was the young children with their mothers and fathers, some of them beginning to cry.

No child should have to see such a sight as this.

Ziva began to walk back up to the truck to place the last of gathered evidence inside. The smell of spilt blood was foul enough to scare away most people, but Ziva, being forced to take in the smell of the blood pooling around the poor petty officer, couldn't help but wonder: who would kill someone like this?

She took in a deep breath, the bloody smell filling her nose. She was more than used to the smell, but it was still far from pleasant. Nothing to take pride in.

It must really be a bad sight; everyone on the team was far too quiet. Ducky hadn't told a soul of what the case reminded him off and Tony had yet to make a movie reference that related to the case. If Tony and Ducky had remained silent the whole time the scene was being processed, than the others must be just as affected as she was.

Ziva found Tony by the truck, gazing at the photos he had taken of the scene on his camera. He was flipping through them, possibly hoping that he hadn't missed any angles of the petty officer with no name.

"I think I need a cold shower after this," Ziva randomly said to Tony as she came to stand next to him by the back of the truck.

"I think that I may join you," Tony threw back, with a surprising smirk on his face.

It was still surprising even though it was part of what had drawn Ziva to him, the fact that Tony was always capable of smiling, no matter how gross or disturbing the situation might be.

"My shower is only big enough for one person, sorry," Ziva replied smugly, enjoying the fact that Tony was taking her mind off the dead petty officer.

That was another thing Ziva adored about Tony. The way his antics could cause everyone's minds to light up and to focus on a way to tease him back in return.

"Then maybe you should expand it. . . "

Tony's voice suddenly broke off in mid-air and the next second, before she knew what was happening, Ziva had landed hard on her back on the cemented footpath. Right after that, she registered the sound of a gunshot disturbing the silence.

Tony's weight was pinning her down to the solid ground and if it weren't for the current situation, Ziva would be enjoying it. Her brown eyes looked up and locked onto a pair of green eyes full of shock. That was when the realization of the situation hit her.

"Are you all right?" Tony's voice cut through the tension like a knife.

"You are heavy," Ziva said, her hands clutching Tony's shoulders.

"Sorry."

Tony rolled off of her and for a second Ziva was sort of tempted to tell him to roll back onto her, but then she saw the blood. It was quickly beginning to stain the leg of Tony's pants, the red splotch bright against the grey of his suit.

"Tony!" Ziva cried out, stunned.

Crawling closer to him, Ziva began to put pressure on Tony's wounded thigh. His blood was warm and thick under her hands.

Pulling her gaze away from the wound to look into Tony's pain filled eyes, she could see he was in a lot of pain. It was killing her inside to see his hurting so badly and not be able to do anything about it.

"Tony! Ziver!" Gibbs' voice reached Ziva's ears.

Ziva couldn't bring herself to look away from Tony, just in case.

_No! Do not even think that, you stupid little girl. He is going to make it._

She was still so shocked by what had happened that she hadn't even said any words of comfort for Tony. She knew what he needed to hear and she would have said it right then if it weren't for the fact that Gibbs and the others had reached them. Someone was on the phone in the background, talking to another someone to dispatch an ambulance.

Tony's eyelids began to droop, only to force themselves open again. Ziva could see that Tony was beginning to lose consciousness and she didn't want that to happen; she wanted his eyes to stay wide open and to be glittering with mirth, like usual. Tony had saved her from a bullet and now she was afraid that he would pay for that rescue with his life. Ziva didn't think that she would ever be able to forgive herself if the worst were to happen.

Ziva knew now that life was too short and it should not be wasted in meaningless hours waiting for that special something to happen. Oh, why hadn't she told him how she felt, how he made her feel?

What happened next was one big blur, but Ziva knew that no matter what, the day would turn out to be much worse then everyone previously thought it would be.

**-NCIS-**

To Be Continued. . . .


End file.
